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A Sermon

DELIVERED BY THE REV. T. J. JUDKIN,
AT SOMERS CHAPEL, SOMER'S TOWN, JUNE 19, 1831.

1 Peter v. 10, 11.-" But the GOD of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.

Amen."

THESE words present a beautiful model for the order of our communion with GOD-they bespeak the union of prayer and praise they affect the necessities of the creature and they affect the glories of the Creator-they are not only a breathing of the desires, but they are also the ascription of a devout admiration-they are not confined to the present want, to the selfishness of the present want, but they give you the image of an eye that is busy in tracing back the former mercies of the Lord, of a heart that bows with a free and full gratitude before their source. It may be thought a startling assertion, a paradoxical assertion, (though an examination of the fact will prove the truth) that in our very times of remembrance of God, there is a deep forgetfulness of GoD-that is to say, that the recognition is a partial recognition-that there is only a seeing of the half of GOD's face; thus you are brought to a sense of the true state of your soul, you are touched with a feeling of your infirmities, your deficiencies and ignorances, your weaknesses, your guilt-and you seek at the Divine throne a suitable supply in all pardon, and wisdom, and strengthyou see, and rightly see in God the only fountain of these, but you frequently see nothing else, and you leave the Divine footstool with having called every thing down from heaven, but with having sent nothing up. The man spiritual hath occupied you wholly, whilst in the praises of the

GOD spiritual your hearts have been cold, your lips silent-to Him who can bless, you have urged your petitions, but to him who hath blessed you have spoken never a word-your claim is upon the hand which giveth liberally and witholdeth not-your obligation to the hand which has been widely opened with all manner of store, from your infancy to your age, to your gray hairs, is unthought of. That inimitable form of words, "Our Father," from the lips of the blessed Jesus, ought to humble you here-it begins with praise, it ends with praise; GOD, in his glorious perfections, is its Alpha and Omega-human wants have a middle place. In heaven praise will be all in all, there, will be no petition, no prayer, the language of eternity will be song.

But if we are to join in the anthem of angels before the throne hereafter, we must begin the anthem of angels before the throne now-we must know the letters, the sentences of the ode we are to sing, we must be practised in its mighty burthen. Some have imagined foolishly, that hearts which had been previously empty, will in heaven be suddenly and miraculously filled with the love of God, that lips which had been before altogether shut, will at once burst into singing the praises of the Lamb; but this is a whisper of Satan, the delusion of the enemy; all exercises of the holy angels in which we shall mix there, must be cultivated, entered upon here. The formation of the habit below will pre

Spirit,

GOD.

Secondly. THE Recipients of GOD'S FAVOur.

Thirdly. THE MEANS TO ITS ENJOYMENT; and,

Fourthly. THE EFFECT WHICH IT PRODUCES.

THE CHARACTer given of God. He is called "the God of all grace”— the one great and only fountain of all supplies to our temporal and spiritual necessities-inexhaustible, the overflowing and the ever full-the centre of the three mighty economies of creation, of providence, and of redemption, flooding all with his presence, sustaining all with his power, directing and controlling all with his wisdom, replenishing all with the streams of his love. Creation-in the raising your bodies from the dust, in giving you the distinction of reason, the

cede the infinite progression in the habit | guidance and assistance of the Holy above; the church in glory will be the "without whom nothing is church transplanted-its identity will strong, nothing is holy," I would follow be preserved the passage will be out of the fourfold division into which it breaks. of much tribulation to where no tribula- First. THE CHARACTER GIVEN OF tion is. The wing of the insect is folded in the chrysalis, and what spring is to it, heaven will be to us in an infinite degree-expansion, perfection, joy! And, now, what is the state of your preparation? Are you often employed in thinking upon the perfections of GOD, and in speaking good of his name? Are you frequently making melody in your hearts before him because of the riches of his mercy? Is Christ in his condescending love, in his travailing love, in his atoning love, in his redeeming love, in his intercessional love, an enkindling of your souls into song? Is there a man before me whose whole life has been without one act, one expression of praise God-ward—who does not even know the matter, the subject of the harmonies of the celestial world-who has for years been living in the midst of all grace, and is yet the unim-powers and capacities of the living soul pressed, the unawakened-and to to hold communion with himself, to whom the next month, the next week, meditate upon his Divine excellencies, the next day, may be a cutting-off of to separate the rays of his attributes, his life, an eternal separation from all to dwell upon his character in its own opportunity that would lead through cloudless glory. Behold the GOD the exercises of the church militant to of grace. Providence-in the preserthe exercises of the church triumphant? vation and deliverance of your lives decide-watch!-"The GoD of all through consuming sicknesses and grace, who hath called us unto his amidst awful accidents, in the manieternal glory by Christ Jesus, after fold blessings of your families and of that ye have suffered awhile, make your worldly estate, in the privileges you perfect, stablish, strengthen, of country and climate, in the ensettle you to Him be glory and do-joyment of your civil rights and reminion for ever and ever. Amen!"

To this solemn and weighty prayer of St. Peter we may apply the remark already made on the great prayer of Christ, his Divine master, its beginning and its ending is praise, while the necessities, the spiritual necessities of GOD's people occupy a middle space. And now, in dwelling upon it with the

ligious liberties. Behold the God of grace, in the mercies of redemption, in the bringing you from darknessfrom the darkness of your own hearts, from the darkness of vain and proud teachers, the blind leaders of the blind-from the depths of heathen superstitions into the marvellous light of the Gospel-in emancipating you from

the bondage of the curse, from the dominion of Satan, and raising you to the glorious liberty of the children of GOD-in the visiting you with the infinite compassions of the incarnate Son, in providing for you a full, perfect sufficient satisfaction, and atonement for all your trespasses and all your sins-in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God without spot or blemish-in the opening a way of access and of acceptance through the blood-shedding of God's dear Son-in the publication, the broad, the free publication of messages of heaven, of mercy to a world of ruined and lost souls, to a whole creation groaning and travailing together in pain until now-in the strengths, the intense, the forbearing, the unweariedly patient exercise of a Divine love pleading through every variety of appeal for the things which affect our true and imperishable peace, in the offices of the Spirit of God, towards enlightening the ignorant mind, towards strengthening and perfecting the weak endeavour, towards sanctifying the unholy purpose, towards quickening, and regenerating, and creating anew the dead in evil works, in the grasp of the Omnipotent plucking the brand from its burning, snatching from the bottomless perdition and elevating to the felicities of the heavenly world, to the right hand of the throne, behold the GOD of all grace, of sovereign, unmerited, free, gratuitous, boundless, eternal grace!

This latter, in the Apostle's eye, was the summing up of all discoveries, this was the mighty confluence of a thousand streams, this was a commingling all Divine energies into one, this was a making bare the whole heart of GOD; it is in redemption that we see a creating power go forth that has to contend with a far more stubborn and intractable material than it met in the elements of chaos. It is in redemption that we see the tenderness

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of the Father yearning over us in unspeakably the richest of all providences! But what were the peculiar manifestations of the grace of God, which St. Peter sought for the Christian church, in his own words, for "The strangers scattered throughout Pentus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bethynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ?" Why, they were these, the grace that should make perfect, the grace that should establish, strengthen, settle. And where is the spiritual pastor whose heart is not alive with his heart, whose voice of prayer is not an echo to his voice of prayer? How often is the silent desire springing up with me, that the God of all grace would make you perfect, put off from you all impurities of the flesh by which so many a soul is sore let and hindered in running his heavenly race, and clothe you with light, that your consistency might exhibit as it were the very garment of your master without seam, woven from the top throughouthow often do my enquiries follow you through the observances here, follow you into the customs of your homes, follow you in the avocations of the week: if my thoughts were embodied things, what knockings would there be at your hearts, that I might feel assured that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is making you perfect, complete in him, and then that the same grace might stablish you-stablish you, my brother, in your feeble resolutions, in your weak and wavering faith, amidst the assaults of the enemy within and of the enemy withoutstablish you more and more in the truths of God's holy word, whilst the infidel and blasphemer are entering into their awful conspiracies against your soul's peace, that the grace of GOD might strengthen you, when the

flesh is at its weakest, that the spirit may be at its strongest-that whatever the trial, you may have power from on high to meet it-that in every storm of affliction your head may be still above the waters, you may find a rock to cling to in some of the unspeakably precious promises of the gospel-that in your grapling with the Tempter the might of the Lord may give you the mastery-that the same grace may settle you-give you heart amidst the professions of the Gospelthat taking root downwards you may bear fruit upwards-that as you grow in experience, your inward testimonies may be stronger to the sure oracles of GoD-that as you encrease in knowledge your confidence may repose more fully in the verities of the character of a GOD in Christ-that the deeper may be your insight into his wisdom, the more enlarged your view into his love, the more manifold and convincing the proofs of his faithfulness-that you may be settled in the assurance to the last, that he who hath begun a good work within you will perform itthat amidst all the agitations of care, the restlessness of sickness, the perturbations and agonies of death, yours may be the cheerful hope of the righ-stricken with a spiritual want, and teous, the triumph of the believer in Jesus, "the peace of GOD which passeth all understanding!"-Such I are the outgoings of my prayers on your behalf, and if there be but a union of your own in the name of Christ, our joy shall be full.

nance after ordinance, Bible-reading after Bible-reading, ministering after ministering, each has a tongue, and the utterance is "come unto me, and be ye saved all the ends of the earth;" the souls of all are deeply interested in the message, and the message goes out to all. But those who receive it are a peculiar people, they are the few, who seeing, do see, and hearing, do hear, they are the few who are conscious of their wants, are pierced with a suffering sense of their sinful infirmities, and thus in all earnest prayer and supplication seek the mercy of GOD. They are led to know that they are guilty, and they ask for pardon; they are led to know that they are ignorant, and they ask for Divine light; they are led to know that they are unholy, and they ask for sanctification; they are led to know that by nature they are alienated from GoDthat they are strangers, and therefore they ask to be reconciled and adopted ; they are led to know that they are in a state of destitution, and ask that the grace of God may dwell in them richly and abound more and more!

say

Secondly-THE RECIPIENTS OF THE DIVINE FAVOUR, "the grace of GOD who hath called us."

The "us" of the apostle comprehends every bosom that is deeply

which earnestly breathes a spiritual prayer; but although the favour of the Lord was thus widely to be extended, it is predicated that the people who receive it are a suffering people. Although the richest in mercies, they are recognised as the deepest in affliction-the patriarchs, the kings, the priests, the prophets, the Lord and the disciples were all great sufferers. The apostle included himself with It is a part of the economy of the the strangers scattered over the earth. kingdom of grace that this should be; Whilst he spake of the riches of GOD's the wine of God's own mixing has almercy, he spake of its universality-ways many bitters in it. What would the Divine love is the love of a father faith be without trial? A mere name. to his children; to all the human fa- What would patience be without af mily the voice goeth forth-day after fliction? A mockery. What would day, providence after providence, ordi- resignation be without a rod to kiss?

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A shadow. What would comfort be so let the responsibility lie where it without a tear to be wiped away? An ought-let the glory and the praise be empty sound. But though the chil- Christ's, in sending out each mighty dren of God must pass through tribu- summons. Let the free and sovereign lation, still the text conveys a welcome grace of God be extolled and magnified truth in the intimation of its short that would persuade and elect upon continuance," after that ye have suf- the conditions of his own rich and fered awhile" the affliction was to be everlasting covenant; but let the neg"light and but for a moment, which lect of the call in all its guilt, and should work out the far more exceed- shame, and condemnation, and woe, ing and eternal weight of glory." Yes! rest with the man who refuses to obey Christian, who art so apt to magnify the voice of the Lord, who despises all thy troubles, so apt to arraign the his counsel, and will have none of his wisdom that appoints, and doubt the reproof. Let the man see, that with his faithfulness that presides, to cast a sus- own hands he is forging the chains that picion on the love which watches, thou shall bind him down for ever, let the shalt one day see what a small thing man feel that SELF is the scorpion lash thy affliction was to the greatness of whipping him on to a place of torment, thy glory-thou shalt one day discover that while heaven is all above him and how vitally interwoven it was with thy before him, his own hell is within him— safety-thou shalt one day see how that with every warning to restrain, mightily influential it was in lifting to keep back, he is rushing willingly, thee from a world of sin and death! | madly as hopelessly, upon the thick The valley of humiliation is at the foot bosses of the Divine buckler. of the mountain whose top reaches heaven!

The call by Christ Jesus now goes forth, is sounding in your ears, in all its

But, Thirdly. THE MEANS TO A PAR- tenderness, in all its strength. And are

TICIPATION OF THE DIVINE FAVOUR

any here resisting it? What is that call

"who hath called us unto his eternal from ?-from sin a sa reigning principle, glory by Christ Jesus."

"Hath called us" by Christ Jesus, the ministry of Christ Jesus, by the life of Christ Jesus, by the spirit of Christ Jesus, by the prophecy-fulfilling truth of Christ Jesus, by the miracleworking power of Christ Jesus, by the redeeming love of Christ Jesus, by the passion and death of Christ Jesus, by the resurrection from the dead and the ascension into heaven of Christ Jesus, by the intercessional appeals of Christ Jesus-these are all living voices full of earnest entreaty, struggling with the sinner at every turn, striving with him continually at the door of his reason, at the door of his affections, at the door of his experience, at the door of his conscience. But let the distinction obtain, that to "call" is not to force, that the voice is not the hand, and

from sin as a blasting curse, from a world of weariness and lies, from houses of deceit, from the strong holds of Satan, from the miseries of a life of sin, of an end in sin from the fears of death and from the wrath to come! And what is the call to? to holiness, to light, to freedom, to pardon, to peace, to the joy of Divine communion, to much assurance, to the inheritance of the just, to, in the all-comprehending words of the text, eternal glory! The miracle of the love which intercedes, to be equalled only by the miracle of the love which blesses!

And will any remain deaf to the call, blind to the splendour of the high reward? How some enquiring voice goes up which perhaps never brake the silence of self-complacency, self-delusion before, am I to meet the call? In

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